Eric Morrow
When the recession hit in the late 2000’s, McMinn County native Eric Morrow was working for DENSO Manufacturing when they offered him a buy-out. That buy-out allowed Mr. Morrow the opportunity to go back to school, so he jumped at the chance and three degrees later, he is not looking back.
“I wanted a change in lifestyle," said Mr. Morrow. “I didn’t want to do factory work for the rest of my life…and Cleveland State was the direction I chose. It definitely led me down a different path.”
Mr. Morrow currently has two jobs which he enjoys. During the day, he works for Life Care Centers of America as a senior technical support analyst helping manage and provide assistance for more than 200 facilities and over 40 Century Park buildings across the United States. In the evenings and on weekends, he works as a media correspondent for a radio station, WJSQ/WLAR, where he also hosts a Saturday morning radio program called The Round Table on WLAR AM 1450 and FM 95.1. Just three months into his radio program, Mr. Morrow was voted Best Radio Announcer in the Daily Post Athenian’s annual Best of the Best edition.
“I have a great time at the radio station," said Mr. Morrow. "It provides me with the opportunity to interview and talk with people in my community about various issues that are important to our area while also informing the public at the same time. To be chosen as the best radio announcer within three months of the program was just unbelievable to me; it was just shocking.”
Mr. Morrow received two Associate of Applied Science degrees from CSCC before transferring to Fountainhead College of Technology where he received his Bachelor’s of Science degree in Network Security and Forensics. Mr. Morrow credits CSCC for preparing him and giving him the tools needed to move forward to complete his bachelor’s as well as six certificates from the Committee on National Security Systems that are recognized by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.
“I had an excellent time at Cleveland State," said Mr. Morrow. "The teachers were very helpful and willing to work with you and help you better understand the class assignments, but I’d have to say that my favorite instructor was my business professor, Cynthia Brooks. She really helped me understand how to write and present business reports during my time at CSCC. While working at my current job, I have to write and plan for budgets and processes to be presented for viewing. The time she took to teach me then helped perfect my skills for today in the workforce.”
Mr. Morrow’s favorite memory of CSCC was serving as an Accounting / Math tutor on campus. “I enjoyed being able to help students being able to show them how to understand a problem. That is one of the reasons I went into the I.T. field.”
Mr. Morrow continued, “I still recommend Cleveland State to others, especially now that you have the opportunity to go for free because of Tennessee Promise or with the governor’s new Tennessee Reconnect program. I went from working an assembly line in production to essentially managing my own radio program and helping oversee staff at Lifecare all because of my start at Cleveland State.”
For more information on Cleveland State, visit the website at www.clevelandstatecc.edu or call 472-7141.